1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seat for an automobile, particularly to a structure for supporting a skin of a seat which can hold the skin to a pad in a tensioning state by forming a slit on the skin and fastening a fastener supported to the slit in order to improve a detachability of the skin covered in a state of spreading the pad.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a seat 1 is structured by a seat cushion 2 and a seat back 3, and each of the structural member comprises a frame (not shown), pads 4,5 (5) formed by a polyurethane foam or the like covering the frame and having a cushion characteristic, and skins 6 (7) made of a fabric or the like covering the pads 4, (5) (refer to Japanese Utility Model Application laid-open No. 6-38794 as a similar art).
Among the skins 6 and 7, for example, the skin 7 provided in the seat back 3 is structured such as to form a portion easily viewed from an occupant on a design, for example, both shoulder portions 7a and 7a (in the drawing, only one shoulder portion 7a is shown but the other shoulder portion 7a is omitted) in a bag shape and form laterally spaced slits 8 on a rear portion 7b.
As shown in FIG. 2, tapes 10 and 10 of a slide fastener 9 are fixed on the rear RR side-surface of the rear portion 7b of the skin 7 along each slit 8 by sewing S. Engaging elements 11 and 11 are fixed to edge portions 10b and 10b in far sides of the respective tapes 10 and 10. A slider 12 is caused to previously mesh with upper end portions of the engaging elements 11 and 11.
Lower end portions 9a of the slide fastener 9, that is, lower end portions 10a of the tape 10 are positioned downwardly by a size H beyond a position of the lower end portion 3a of the seat back 3, as shown in FIG. 1, and a stopper 13 is provided in the lower end portions 9a, as shown in FIG. 3.
The stopper 13 comprise a butterfly rod 15 supported to a first reinforcing tape 14 fixed to the lower end portion 10a of the tape 10 on the rear portion 7b of the skin 7 of the seat back 3 and integrally formed with the engaging element 11 and a box rod 17 supported to a second reinforcing tape 16 fixed to the lower end portion 10a of the tape 10 on a side portion 7c of the skin 7 of the seat back 3 and integrally formed with the engaging element 11, as shown in FIG. 3.
With holding the butterfly rod 15 of the slide fastener 9, the first reinforcing tape 14 is twisted to the front side, as shown in FIG. 4. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the slider 12 is moved on the engaging elements 11 by moving the slider 12 in a downward direction DW to the lower end portions 9a, then, the slit 8 can be made in a fastening state in accordance that the engaging elements 11 and 11 mesh with each other. Accordingly, the rear portion 7b of the skin 7 and the side portions 7c and 7c (only one side portion 7c is shown but the other side portion 7c is omitted) of the skin 7 are joined. Since the engaging elements 11 and 11 are released from each other upwardly moving the slider 12, it is possible to make the slit 8 in an opening state.
Further, as shown in a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, the lower end portions 9a of the slide fastener 9 extending downwardly beyond the lower end portion 3a of the seat back 3 are pushed into a back surface side of the skin 7 from a clearance 18 formed between the rear portion 7b of the skin 7 and the lower end portion 3a of the seat back 3 as shown in a broken line in FIG. 6 and a solid line in FIG. 7, whereby the lower end portions 9a of the slide fastener 9 are seen to be just like the same position as that of the lower end portion 3a of the seat back 3.
However, since the lower end portions 9a of the slide fastener 9 are only pushed into the back surface side of the skin 7 of the seat back 3, a knob 12a of the slider 12 is put in a freely movable situation within the back surface of the skin 7 of the seat back 3, so that there is such a drawback that the knob 12a may generates foreign sounds due to vibrations in a running situation at a automobile, which is required to be improved.
Further, the lower end portions 9a of the slide fastener 9 are pushed into the back surface of the skin 7 of the seat back 3 from the clearance 18 in a process of assembling and manufacturing the seat back 3, but, the pushing-into positions are different according to respective workers and case by case, so that a predetermined position can not be determined. Accordingly, an improvement is desired.
Still further, since it is possible to easily insert a hand into the clearance 18 formed between the rear portion 7b of the skin 7 and the lower surface 7d of the skin 7, it is possible to draw out the slide fastener 9 when a child or the like inserts his/her hand into the clearance 18 and pulls the lower end portions 9a of the slide fastener 9 after mounting the seat 1 on the automobile. Accordingly, an improvement is desired.
The problems solved by the invention mentioned above are not inherent in the seat back 3 but apply to the seat cushion 2. In this case, it can be understood by replacing the lower end portion 3a of the seat back 3 by the rear end portion or the front end portion of the seat cushion 2, replacing the shoulder portions 7a and the rear portion 7b of the skin 7 by the corner portions of the front end portion or the rear end portion of the skin 6 and lower surface, respectively, replacing the lower end portions 9a of the slide fastener 9 by the rear end portions or the front end portions of the slide fastener 9, and replacing the lower end portions 10a of the tapes 10 by the rear end portions or the front end portions of the tapes 10.